Twyla's 13 Wishes Diary
Cover The real nightmare would be if you read my diary! The Sixth of September When you spend your unlife living in the shadows you get used to seeing things that are missed and missing things that are seen. Lately though I feel like I'm missing more than I'm seeing, like today, for instance. There is a little garden cemetery not far from Monster High where I like to go and contemplate the simple joys of monsterhood. It has a little fountain with a park bench and a simply ginormous creeping willow tree. It's like a giant umbrella that casts the most amazing shadows. Most of the time I am the only monster there except on Wednesday when a group of troll ladies show up to play bridge. Anyway, I was sitting in my usual spot today with my back to the tree facing away from the fountain. I heard footsteps approaching. I thought it was probably some monsters coming to pay their ghast respects and I didn't want to disturb them, so I just sat still. If I am in the shadows and I do not move or open my eyes I cannot be seen. As the footsteps got closer I recognized the voices—it was Lagoona and Gil. They were arguing about something and they stopped right next to the fountain. Now I could have just stepped from the shadow I was in to a shadow somewhere else, but I didn't. I stayed because I'm a bad monster. I am not going to write down what they said though, because if some other monster ever reads this it'd be like betraying a trust. But I was sad the rest of the day over what I heard. They are both so sweet and make such a great couple that I had no idea they were facing such outside pressure on their relationship. I guess I was looking but not seeing. I really wish they could get this problem resolved, but some things can't be wished away, only worked through. Eventually Gil left, but Lagoona stayed a little bit longer. She sat for a while, and I could hear her crying. I guess at that point I wanted so much to just run over and hug her, but I couldn't. I know, I know, I'm a terrible monster, but I didn't know what to do. That's not true, I mean the terrible monster part is, but I should have just gone over and given her a hug...epic fail. I waited for a bit after Lagoona left and then I left too. The Tenth of September Being able to jump from one shadow to another without having to step into the light means that I can avoid talking to other monsters if I don't want. It's not that I don't like other monsters, but I feel kind of awkward sometimes, like maybe I'll say or do something wrong and embarrass myself. I remember I'd been at MH for a while but I hadn't really made any friends. Not because the other students hadn't been nice to me, they were, I just always disappeared before I let them get too close. I remember the day I got cornered, literally. I was sitting by myself in the very back corner of the creepateria at a table underneath a burned out light that was casting a nice big shadow. I was just eating my lunch and watching when Howleen started walking my way. I sat still knowing that she wouldn't be able to see me but I didn't want to leave either cause I was hungry. So she came over and sat right down across from me. She sniffed a couple of times and said, "PB&J?" "Eww cam seeb me?" I answered with a mouth full of sandwich. "Nah, but I can smell you." "Nobway!" "Of course I can, I'm a werewolf, and the nose knows. You smell like dust and strawscarry jam." I started to excuse myself, but Howleen asked me not to, "I really don't feel like eating lunch by myself—would you mind hanging out?" So I didn't disappear, I stayed and I made a friend for unlife plus I didn't embarrass myself even once. #WinWin The First of October Usually Dustin meets me at the door when I get home from school, but he wasn't waiting for me today. I called for him but he didn't come. I checked all his usual hiding places: under the bed, behind the doors, in all the corners, but he was nowhere to be found. I started to get worried. I even went outside to look, although he hasn't been out on his own since the day a big wind blew him into the blackscary brambles. I went back inside and was just about to start making lost posters to hand out around the neighborhood when I heard thump scratch-thump scratch-thump scratch. I looked up and there was Dustin, covered in glitter, double stick tape and beads. He had taken a nap in my craft box, and the end from a roll of necklace wire had wrapped around his foot while the spool had gotten stuck in the box. I would have taken a picture with my iCoffin, but he just looked so pitiful. It took me two hours to get him all cleaned up. I'll have to save dryer lint for a week to patch all the bare places. The Fifteenth of October I went to Howleen's house for a sleep over. It was cool getting to meet her family. I mean I'd seen Clawd and Clawdeen around school, but this was the first time I really officially met them. I wish now I hadn't waited so long because I feel like I missed out on some good times by being so shy. I also got to meet another one of Howleen's sisters. Her name is Clawdia and she's going to college in Londoom. She actually wasn't "there" so we talked to her online with video chat. She is studying to be a writer. She's really funny and she had everybody in the house cracking up about what it's like living in Londoom. Clawdeen left and went to fang out with Draculaura and Frankie at Frankie's house, so Howleen and I stayed up late talking. We've got like tons in common, we like the same TV shows, the same music—Catty Noir 'natch, the same kind of styles and we even think the same boys are cute. The one thing that we don't see eye to eye on is the need to be popular. I don't care if I am and Howleen feels like if she isn't she'll disappear in the shadows of her older siblings. I told her that living in the shadows wasn't all that bad, but she was totally focused on being in the spotlight. Eventually though she got out of her funk, and we spent the rest of the night watching movies. We had a scary cool time, and I can't remember when I have ever laughed so hard. When Howleen fell asleep I snuck out and grabbed a late nightmare snack. I got back way before morning and woke up to the smell of banana scary pancakes and bacon coming from the Wolfs' kitchen. So much fun and so happy to have a friend! Maybe I'll try and spend a little more time out of the shadows from now on...maybe The Twenty-fifth of October Most monsters stay away from normies as much as they can, my family not so much. We have what my dad calls a "symbiotic relationship" with normies, only they don't know it. They think the Boogeyman hangs out under their beds and in their closets to scare them, but that's not it at all. We are "dream eaters" --well, nightmare eaters, actually. We hide in the shadows and watch for them; then when we see one we pounce! It's why our eyes glow in the dark so we can see the dreams. Of course we can't see what's in the dreams, we recognize them by color. Yellow for happiness, red for action, blue for flying, green for fantasy and lots of in between colors and shades that mix different kinds of dreams together. Nightmares are the color of storm clouds, all grey-black and menacing. I only wish my dreams could be pounced on, too, but it doesn't work that way for us. I dreamed a dream last night that I was on a brightly lit stage in front of the whole school. I was supposed to give a speech and I forgot the topic, so I just stood there looking for a shadow to hide, but there weren't any. Then every monster started laughing at me. I turned to run and tripped off the stage, which was suddenly at the top of a very tall tower and I was falling and falling and falling. Then I was back on the stage again, and every monster in the audience was giving me a standing ovation. I looked behind me, and there were a panel of judges holding up scoreboards. 9.5 9.5 10.0 9.5 4.0So I started arguing with the judge who gave me the 4.0 and she told me that I flapped my arms too much as I was falling. Then I woke up. I told my dad about it, and he said it was probably just something I ate. Dads are so weird. The Twenty-eighth of October Howleen is not enjoying her popularity as much as she thought she would, and there are shadows in places where they should not be. I am worried, and no monster seems to be listening to me. I must find a monster that will.